Jones: Lessons have been learnt ahead of new season

Mike Simmonds

Hatters boss Nathan Jones believes that lessons have been learned for the new League Two season from his first six months in charge at Kenilworth Road.

The Town chief took over back in January and had an immediate response, leading Luton to a 2-0 win at Mansfield in his second game in charge.

However, a crushing 4-1 defeat against AFC Wimbledon soon followed, but Jones will use that as he plots a promotion challenge this term.

He said: “I think we had a few lessons last year.

“We had the Wimbledon one which was a real introduction into League Two football.

“That showed no matter how much you want to control a game, you have to do the basics very, very well and at Wimbledon we didn’t.

“But we never had another game like that, as after Wimbledon we went away and until we played Northampton, we won almost every game away from home. So there was a real positive to take from it.”

Hatters went on to win seven of their 10 away games under Jones, with defeats at Barnet and then champions Northampton, as Jones continued: “The Northampton game taught us what it takes to win as champions.

“I was criticised from the Northampton side for saying Oxford were the best side in the league.

“Now ultimately Northampton won the league as they were the most consistent, but on any given day I felt that Oxford were probably the most outstanding team, how they played, whereas Northampton showed a consistency and what it takes that you have to be week in week out if you want to win the league.

“That consistency, no mistakes, grind out results, not always going to be fluent, we’re going to need an element of that as we’ve shown we can do that.

“As I said, there weren’t many away records better after Christmas and we just have to improve things at home.”